Running

Thanks for all your kind words, though, folks. Feeling shitty still but hopefully it will pass.

Sub 3 is the goal. Should be just about attainable if I train well enough based on half mara times.

Brian Mills is approaching 1200. Many others up in the high 100's. That's why those of us with just 100+ say ONLY :)

This obsession with the London mara is seriously tedious

I tend to agree*, although the route & atmosphere were fine as a tourist runner.

It frustrates me when it's referred to as 'The Marathon' tho.

*GNR the same.

hats: just pretend it's ONLY 18 miles next time. Works a treat for me :)

100MC records: http://www.100marathonclub.org.uk/new/statistics/records.shtml
(edit: I do not make an appearance anywhere near this page!!)

The fella I was talking to is John Kew - he doesn't seem to be in the club, but is probably pretty well known in the circles.

hats - you could work this counterintuitively and just knock out a long slow 30 miler in training - then you know you can do it come race day.

I'm in the same boat as Hats, first marathon coming up and the furthest I've ever run is just over a half marathon (running for two hours then stopping).

I was planning on going out and simply aiming to run for three hours, see where that got me to - I would expect around 30km, maybe slightly more.

Does this hold water as a plan to de-fear the marathon? The Runners World marathon time calculator puts my time (based off a 5k) at 3:16 for Stockholm, so my plan was to tuck in behind the 3:30 pacer and run within my abilities, as it were.

The shorter the distance used to predict a longer event the more likelihood it'll be a fair bit out.

Slower 5km × 8.5 times will be challenging without miles in legs.

Given the v.limited info above I'd suggest running with 4hr pacer not 3.30 and push on in last 10km only if legs are feeling up to it.

The Runners World marathon time calculator puts my time (based off a 5k) at 3:16

It'd be better to put a HM time into the calculator.

When is the marathon? If you feel you have the aerobic fitness there, then concentrate on time on feet, 3hr + runs or something, as slow as you like. Your body needs to adapt and condition to the stresses - At the 3hr mark, I was barely in a sweat, but my body hurt...

Yes, or even a shorter run. I'd recommend running up to at least 18 miles as a long-run. I consider 18 miles to be the true halfway distance. If your 'comfortable' doing this then those last 8 miles will be fine. It's ONLY 2 miles to 20, then ONLY a 10k home.

Good.

http://m.hulldailymail.co.uk/Dozens-runners-disqualified-Beverley-10k-wearing/story-29249388-detail/story.html

Anyone after a GPS watch? Like this, minus HRM strap. Never really used it. £50

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/suunto-ambit-2-s-gps-watch-with-hrm-1/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=5360722857&kpid=5360722857&utm_source=google&utm_term&utm_campaign=UK_PLA_Accessories&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mkwid%7Cswiq282qN_dt%7Cpcrid%7C67090793342%7Cpkw%7C%7Cpmt%7C%7Cprd%7C5360722857uk

a massively congested trudge through some of the grimmest parts of town with a crowd that's bored cheering after the 2h40 guys have passed.

My experience disagrees with this statement. The crowds and support are amazing, no one seemed bored and if they were they didn't show it. In Woolwich there was a chap on a PA system welcoming everyone to their part of town. Not grim at all.

If I don't get in then yeah, I'll look for another race possibly something longer but if I do then I know I've got a great event to look forward to, and a target to train for.

I believe anyone can do it. It's not to be underestimated but if you've trained for it (and most of us average Joes do need to train) you'll make it to the finish line unless you suffer an injury or illness.

I was apprehensive before I ran The Marathon* but I think that's natural. I'd never run more than 20 miles and those training runs had hurt. But if you can get to 20 miles, then another 10k is achievable.

*just for rhb ;)

What qualifies as "miles in the legs", as in what distance/week?

It sounds like we're not a million miles apart in pace.

I followed Hal Higdon Marathon 3 mileage pretty closely. I was already happy with HM distance so I kept the long runs at ~13 miles until the plan caught up with me, then followed the long runs as they progressed. I pushed the long runs out slightly toward the end, aiming for 20 miles instead of 18 and 22 instead of 20. But my knee started playing up so I probably ended up doing the mileage they recommend in the end anyway.
So rarely more than 35 miles a week, but it was a consistent 30 miles a week, give or take.
Started out with I'd guess a 20.30 5k time (down from 19.45 a year before) and I my long run pace was anywhere from 8 to 8.30 min miles.
I told people I wanted to go under 3:30, actually wanted to be closer to 3:20. Did Paddock Wood a few weeks out and knocked the HM time from 1:38 to 1:29, then ended up getting 3:15 (1:35 and 1:40 HM splits). Then my next run a fortnight after was a club 5k which I got 19mins on.

If I put 19 mins into the RW predictor then it predicts me a 3:01 marathon which I think it optimistic. 3:10 maybe, as I had some knee concerns (and a visit to the loo).

If I get a place for next year then I'd aim for a GFA time

I was doing 25-30 miles/week and my legs fell apart at 18 miles in both my last long run (22 miles) and the marathon itself. Both times I ended up doing walk/jog to get to the end.

That marathon calculator gives me a predicted time of 4h14 based the appropriate 5k time, I was on track for 4h45 until that 18 mile mark and ended up with a 5h07.

Most of this is due to a combination of two things:

• not enough miles in the legs (I'd hope to be up to at least 40 miles/week for next time - can't do that now on top of swim/cycle training and family life)
  
• being 10-15kg heavier than I'd like to be
  

I'm losing the will to try and get my Garmin synced to my pc so I could be interested.

Do you have any pictures? I assume it has the charging gubbins. Cheers

PM incoming.

About time too.

Does this hold water as a plan to de-fear the marathon

Yes.

The Runners World marathon time calculator

This seems to be a good indicator if you have already run that sort of distance, know what to expect, and have the training miles in your legs

If you feel you have the aerobic fitness there, then concentrate on time on feet>

This should be a mantra on the fridge door of anyone training for a marathon. I'm a relative newbie compared to the 100 club members (I'm still in single figures) but even when I'm pacing, rather than racing, a marathon it still hits me somewhere around 18- 20 miles just how bloody far it is.

That's not to scare anyone, because it really is within the realms of the vast majority of people to get the job done, but for me it really emphasises how the race-time-predictor relationship has the potential to break down when you get beyond the 5k-10k-HM range. For the elites there is a very close relationship between VO2 max, lactate threshold and marathon pace, but that relationship breaks down somewhat for mortals, especially if you've not got the miles in your legs. The long slow runs (and even run/jog/walks) harden the legs against fatigue, which is inevitable towards the end of the race, and somewhat independent of your lung capacity.

Some supplementary advice I usually offer is to support your long runs with regular mid-long runs in the week. 18 miles on a Sunday is a lot easier if you're used to knocking out 10-12 miles on a Wednesday/Thursday evening without much bother.

A VERY rough rule-of-thumb that I try to adhere to. Weekly mileage = to event length. Subsequently I have never been adventurous enough to enter a 100 miler!!

I did 60km last week, aiming for the same or greater this week and every week until the end of May, planning on a couple of as-fast-as-I-can 5k's in the days leading up to the 4th of June, then it's Marathon time.

That 60km mainly came from running to and from work (around 12km each way), and one HM on the weekend - if there's going to be greater benefit in getting the train or cycling to work and then running an HM afterward then I'll do that instead.